Who Can You Trust With Your Internet Privacy?

As users surf the Internet everyday they face many different perils, ranging from cyber criminals to rouge viruses. Of course, Internet privacy should be a major concern to anyone who boots up a computer, checks their e-mail, or surfs the Internet but as modern technology evolves, a new generation of miscreants evolves with it. Users try to gain an advantage anyway possible, whether it is an updated security suite or using an anonymous proxy, but find it difficult to know who to trust. This is a difficult question to answer and leaves many users wondering who has their best interest in mind. Many sources offer Internet privacy tools, but do they have ulterior motives or is it a company that truly cares about your privacy? An Internet user can never be truly anonymous; someone will always have your information, but the key is to know who will help keep you protected.

An Internet user can safely assume that they have zero privacy while surfing the Internet, and privacy protection goes above and beyond the latest Norton update. Privacy on the Internet is not inherently given. An Internet user must proactively search ways to protect their Internet privacy. Many sources offer privacy products to help users remain anonymous and surf freely without the hassle of being tracked. With the increased use of behavioral targeting and even ISPs maintaining records on their customers, it is beneficial to seek out appropriate privacy products. Even if criminal activity isn't involved, some of the sources a web surfer thinks they can trust will let them down. Internet Service Providers, search engines, and marketing companies all track IP addresses and slowly build up a profile of surfing habits so they can advertise more effectively. Unfortunately, many of these companies do not delete the data from their servers, leaving many Internet users vulnerable to a number of attacks.

Internet users should always ready the privacy policies they come across. A privacy policy is a good measure of how a company conducts business and whether or not they can be a trusted source. A privacy policy is a legal document which deals with the company’s relationship with customers and vendors. A good privacy policy will tell the user what personal information is collected, how the information is used, the persons to whom the personal information may be disclosed, the security measures taken to protect the personal information, and whether the website uses cookies to store data. In any instance, if a privacy policy is missing from the website or not explicitly disclosed then avoid working with that company at all costs. Web users should also do some research before buying products. Users should be able to easily locate contact information, including company e-mail, address, phone/fax numbers, and a company contact, so they know who they can turn to if needed. Online merchants will usually secure their online transactions by using a third party credit card processor, which again must have a privacy policy to conduct e-business. If any of this information is missing, a user should search elsewhere for a trusted company.

For the most part, “free” privacy resources should not be trusted or used as an advanced security measure. Many companies offer a free-trial of their products, but as the old adage says, “nothing in this life is free.” Completely free products, such as online proxy lists, should always be avoided. Anyone can host a proxy server for free, but they cannot offer advanced security features such as an encrypted network connection. An encrypted network, and other such security features, will offer greater security and anonymity while surfing. While an anonymous proxy server should not break the bank, a company cannot truly offer these products without some cost associated with the usage. A free proxy will most likely be bombarded with spam, advertisements, and viruses/malware, which defeats the purpose of using a proxy or antivirus at all. Unlike a legitimate privacy company, many of the free products have no data retention policies, meaning that information is indefinitely stored in a server waiting to be hacked.

While it is true that an Internet user can never be truly anonymous, they can be protected. Some company will always have records; it is really more of a matter of finding a company to trust with that information. In the case of using a company's protection tools, the important thing to know is how they will use the information. Will they sell it to the highest bidder, or will they follow their privacy policy and not jeopardize the information. The point of using a company’s products is to maintain privacy and protection while surfing. It is important that they stand behind their products and guarantee them to work.